One of the most challenging transitions in a career can be the move from being exceptional at your job to being responsible for other people doing theirs.

Someone who has built their reputation on expertise, reliability, and getting things done is suddenly expected to delegate, give feedback, manage different personalities, have difficult conversations and make decisions through other people.

What worked when your job was to deliver may not work when your job is to lead. And that doesn’t mean you are a bad manager. It means the role has changed.

From Doing the Work to Leading People

The shift from individual contributor to manager is often described as a move from doing to leading. But in practice, it is also a psychological shift.

A strong individual contributor often knows how to solve the problem themselves. A manager has to help other people solve problems, sometimes without stepping in. That can be harder than it sounds.

You may notice yourself:

• checking work that you have already delegated;
• stepping in because it feels quicker or easier;
• avoiding a difficult conversation until the issue becomes bigger;
• becoming frustrated when someone approaches a task differently from you;
• feeling responsible for solving every problem your team brings to you; or
• struggling to balance your own workload with the demands of managing others.

These behaviours don’t necessarily come from poor leadership skills. Sometimes they come from habits that made you successful in the first place.

The question isn’t simply: “How do I become a better manager?” It can be more useful to ask: “What happens to the way I lead when I’m under pressure?”

The Human Side of Management

Management involves systems, processes, and targets, but much of the day-to-day difficulty is human. People don’t always respond rationally to feedback. They bring different expectations, personalities and communication styles. Managers have their own triggers and assumptions too.

The P-A-T-H™ Leadership Transition Framework

This is the thinking behind the P-A-T-H™ framework: a way of working with the person behind the manager rather than simply handing over another checklist of leadership tactics.